Neither sun or wind can destroy the type of wine that has been developed in this part of Southern France.

An unpopulated landscape maybe beautiful but it is never really the land. Thanks to our predecessors the true potential of the earth has been harnessed to produce this unique product. It results from the work of generations of vignerons whose history culminated in the birth 50 years ago of 'Cru Fitou, the first red wine of the Languedoc to obtain the prestigious "Appellation d'Origine Controlée" (AOC).

This wine is cultivated in two areas. To the west it comes from an area in the Corbières Mountain region where the fortress of Aguilar overlooks the plain of Tuchan and Paziols. The other part is nearer the sea where all that remains of the citadal of Leucate are enormous blocks of stone, and at the Château of Fitou itself where there is the remains of a great wall. This was controversial territory claimed by both France and Spain and this land was fought over for many years.

In the mountains the vines climb the steep slopes of narrow and enclosed tributaries of the River Berre which irrigates the land of Cascastel and Villeneuve-les-Corbières. The vegetation is that of the garrigue* and maquis**. The slopes of shale are coloured with a range of reds and greys and can be seen everywhere in this arid land where the rocks and stones shine brilliantly in the strong sun and wind. These are the climatic conditions which give Fitou wine its unity.

Learn more http://www.cru-fitou.com

Muscat de Rivesaltes or a 5 year old Rancio drunk chilled as an aperitif stimulates your taste buds. To accompany the Muscat de Rivesaltes some thinly sliced, dried 'saussison', "Tapas", a slice of melon or even Chinese Spring rolls. With foie gras you might try a Rivesaltes Grenache but if you prefer POELE the 5 year old Rancio would be perfect.

For a first course of dips and 'crudités' or with a salad, or for a barbecue, the aromatic Corbières Rosé served chilled would be ideal.

Sea food needs something more delicate and a Corbières Blanc (white wine), whose particular character is derived from the schist on which the grapes grow, would be a good complement to the fish course.

For the main course of perhaps poultry or meat cooked in a sauce or even game like wild boar a very good accompaniment would be a Fitou . This is a wine which has a nose of ripe fruit, is well balanced and with/has soft melting tannins. Fitou 2003 has an explosive and complex nose, and would be ideal to drink with special and festive dishes.

With a cheese like Roquefort or indeed any blue veined cheese, the Rivesaltes Grenache would be good. Fitou Grand Guilhem and goats cheese go well together and with powerful cheeses like langres, époisses, munster, gapperon then a Corbières Blanc is perfect. The wine to drink with any cheese selected from the cheese board would have to be Fitou Grand Guilhem.

To accompany the dessert the sweet wines are excellent. For example to go with a chocolate dessert then a 5 year old Rancio served at a temperature of between 7°C and 8°C would be perfect. This wine has an aroma of plums, dried figs, its tannins are supple and it. The Rivesaltes Grenache goes with a dessert which has red fruits. With ice cream and sorbets, be again tempted with an elegant Muscat de Rivesaltes!.

Bon appétit...et bonne dégustation

• Discover the Cathar Castles of Aguilar, Quéribus, Peyrepertuse, Villerouge-termenés... la Cité médiévale de Carcassonne (given World Historical Monument status by UNESCO), the romanesque abbeys of Fontfroide and Lagrasse.
• Visit the vineyards in a 4 x 4 vehicle, learn about growing vines and the art of wine making. See the wine harvest 'Les Vendanges'. Have an adventure in a 4 x 4 following part of the route of the Paris/Dakar car race.

• Visit the African Safari Park (Réserve Africaine) at Sigean where there are 3500 animals.
• Take a tour on a mountain bike following the marked tracks around Cascastel.
• Walk along the 'Sentier Cathare' (Cathar footpath) or along other tracks and footpaths around Cascastel.
• Concerts and evenings of wine and music from November to March at the Domaine.
• Visit a botanical garden and also see the beehives.
• Good restaurants: 'Le Clos de Cascastel'; 'L'Auberge du Vieux Puits' (three stars Michelin); 'La table du Pêcheur'; 'La Rotisserie Médiéval'; L'Amandier', 'La Fargo', 'Château de Lastours', 'Le Merle Bleu'; 'Le Corbierou', 'L'Auberge du Vigneron'...
• Play boule in the village square.
• Horseriding 7 kms away; hang gliding on Mont Tauch; tennis 2 kms away.
• Within 1hr.30 there are the ski slopes of Font-Romeu, Pyrénées 2000, Les Angles...

Water sports

• The swimming pool and the jacuzzi at the Domaine.
• A pool fed by a warm water spring where the temperature is always 21°, 7 kms away.
• 25kms distant are the beaches displaying each year the "Pavillon bleu" sign of the quality of the water for swimming. The nearest beach is Leucate with its cliffs.
• Wind surfing/speed sailing at the sailing centre of Pascal Maka (World speed champion).
• Cruise in a catamaran with or without a skipper.
• Skin diving/snorkelling.
• A guided tour round the L'Ile Ste Lucie with a naturalist.
• Take a trip on a canal barge along the Canal Robine from Narbonne to Port la Nouvelle.
• The Canal du Midi - classed as a world historic monument by UNESCO).
• Fishing.
• Swimming in gorges, rafting, hydrospeed, canoeing.

Provence is overwhelmed by holiday crowds but to the West there is the ancient land of Occitania, still unspoiled and tranquil and where you can savour local pleasures and life in a Domaine.

This unusually named region has always been isolated. It is still in the Midi, but without the large number of holidaymakers who seek the sun and the sea in other areas of the South. Here you will find a land of sun and ever-changing light, old fortress castles with a legendary past, perched on mountain tops, and scattered picturesque villages where older people sit and gossip in the shade of the plane trees their voices barely heard above the murmur of the fountain.

Imagine valleys planted with vines, slopes covered by the 'Garrigue'*, the crests of the hills lashed by the 'Cers'**, where the encircling horizon is lost from sight. Where the beaches and 'Etangs'*** are protected from urban development and to which the only visitors are the rose pink flamingoes.

At the moment this area remains unspoilt although, as in the case of other parts of the south, it could be taken over and flooded by those who wish to experience a newly fashionable area.

Here life is still lived as it always has been and a little outside time. You will not find large palaces, or famous, fashionable restaurants, or golf courses, or health spas. There is nature, rocks, wind and some cypresses. On the peaks, which suddenly appear stand the ruins of Cathar castles (dating in fact from before the Cathar period of the 11th/12th centuries although they did provide refuge for Cathar 'Parfaits'), frontier posts separating the Kingdom of Aragon from the lands of the Count of Toulouse. They were the last bastions of Occitanian independence, and the heroism of their resistance would immortalise them even without the massacre and persecution of the Cathar religious dissidents which wiped out a civilisation. Eight centuries later the tragedy still leaves traces and an impression of evil. In more modern times the Languedoc is less troubled but there were the economic struggles of the wine growers in 1907.

The Corbières, a land of war and misery, has suffered a lot but that was a long time ago and now times have changed. It is still savage and difficult to cultivate although it is bathed in warmth, full of wild flowers, shrubs, herbs, strong scents and ever changing light. Provence was once like this. Those who live here enjoy all that a generous nature places at their feet.

(extract: Perico Légasse - Marianne - freely translated)

* Garrigue: rough, rocky uncultivated ground, usually limestone, on which can be found such plants as green oak, gorse, sarsperella and box, and is the result of the destruction of the Mediterranean forest.

** Cers: a wind coming from a westerly or north westerly direction which is often dry and cold and frequently violent. It can also be called by the Catalan name Tramantane. In other areas of the south a similar wind is the Mistral.

*** Etangs: saltwater lagoons separated from the sea by strips of land.